Loved ones remember popular physician who will be laid to rest this weekend

Wednesday

Nov 15, 2017 at 10:47 AMNov 16, 2017 at 11:17 AM

Rene Ray De La Cruz Staff Writer @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

VICTORVILLE — As the memorial service for Dr. William A. Jacobson is being planned for this weekend, his family and friends shared their thoughts and memories about the "kind man" who they loved and who served the community for over 60 years.

The 86-year-old physician and veteran died in October, just a few months after reviving his decades-long medical career after he retired, telling the Daily Press “boredom” compelled him to open his new office near Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville.

Medical Assistant Veronica Vasquez, who worked with Jacobson for years, told the Daily Press Jacobson died “peacefully with no pain” on Oct. 26 after suffering heart failure at his Apple Valley home.

Jacobson’s memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, at the Victorville Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 16070 Lorene Drive in Victorville.

Born in Hagerman, New Mexico, Jacobson told the Daily Press he felt great, despite undergoing an aortic valve replacement at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center four years ago and a recent back surgery for a ruptured disc.

Jacobson’s daughter, Dawn Jacobson, said her father’s final prayer before he passed was, “Lord, thank you for the life you have given me, and for your many blessings. Thank you for my life of service as a physician. Lord, I know you can heal me, but if not now, I am ready to rest, and anticipate your soon coming”

The doctor’s prayer also included a blessing on those he met, and a request to God that he would guide and direct their lives until they “meet again in heaven.”

Carleton Jacobson said the medical staff at Desert Valley Hospital provided his father with “outstanding care” during his final stay before coming home.

“Many of the nurses and staff have known him over the years and would come by to see him,” Carlton Jacobson said. “He felt blessed by the outpouring of care and support.”

Longtime friend Francis Wada said Dr. Jacobson’s “heart and passion to save people” earned him the nickname “Mother Theresa” by his close friends.

“My association was first when he was the association president of Thayer Conservatory Orchestra, a community orchestra in South Lancaster, Massachusetts,” Wada said.

Jacobson demonstrated his love for music by driving to Lincoln, Nebraska, from Massachusetts to visit Wada, and to share his dream and passion for the wonderful Symphony Orchestra in South Lancaster, Massachusetts, she said.

“Shortly after we came to South Lancaster, I came down with a high fever and pain. I could not move from my bed with so much pain,” Wada said. “When I called his office he responded and said, ‘I will be there. Don't move.’”

Wada said he experienced his first doctor’s visit when Jacobson showed up at his doorstep, an occurrence experienced by a countless number of patients over the years.

“He loved and cared for his patients. For Dr. Jacobson, it did not matter who you were, what color or religion, rich or poor and what time of day and night or weekend, he was always there for us,” Wada said. “He will be greatly missed. We are grateful for his dedication to his patients, our own Mother Theresa."

Friend Jim Carr said he admired the physician for his desire to track the trend of his patient’s health, with a deeply held belief that it was better to treat the patient to prevent serious illness and to catch a problem before it got bad.

“He was a good old family doctor that really took an interest in his patients, and that is why I stayed with him for so long and was so disappointed when he retired,” Carr said. “He was truly a wonderful doctor.”

Jacobson’s wife, Linda J. Jacobson, preceded him in death on Sept. 2, 2014. He leaves behind his ex-wife, Marilyn; four children, Arthur, Bradford, Carlton and Dawn; two stepchildren, Melissa and Amy; 12 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, a sister-in-law and extended family.

The physician graduated from Modesto Adventist Academy in 1949, Pacific Union College in 1953, and Loma Linda Medical School in 1957. He served in the Navy for 10 years where he became lieutenant commander.

He had a private practice in Lancaster, Massachusetts, for 18 years, a back rehabilitation clinic in Worcester, Massachusetts, for eight years, and then moved to California where he practiced medicine for 24 years.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Centennial Tuition Endowment. For more information, visit www.llusmaa.org/fundraising/centennial-tuition-endowment. Please make a note that it is in memory of Dr. William A. Jacobson.